


London at Christmas

by serenyty



Category: Agent Carter (TV)
Genre: F/M, Peggysous Secret Santa Exchange 2015
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-01-26
Updated: 2016-01-26
Packaged: 2018-05-16 08:48:50
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,148
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5822164
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/serenyty/pseuds/serenyty
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>A trip to London proves eventful for Peggy Carter and Daniel Sousa</p>
<p>For Paeonia in the Peggysous Secret Santa Exchange</p>
            </blockquote>





	London at Christmas

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Paeonia](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Paeonia/gifts).



"No Howard, we cannot accept something like that. I meant no the first ten times I said it, and I'll say it again."  
  
"C'mon Peg, live a little - it's my treat, for all you've done for me. It's probably underpaying you, for all the things you've done for me."  
  
Peggy sighed. Sometimes, Howard Stark could be a bit overwhelming in his generosity. She knew he meant well - he always did. But it was all just too much. Howard never did anything in halves, and once he got stuck on an idea he had to go for it, for better or (more likely) for worse.  
  
The doorbell rang and Peggy smiled, despite the conversation that had taken place earlier. "Sorry Howard, that'll be Daniel for our date. So you'll have to leave."  
  
Howard brightened. "Great, so I can ask him too!" He hurried from the parlor and over to the front door.  
  
"Howard, that's not what I meant and you know it!" Peggy called. He didn't come back. Peggy groaned and followed along.  
\---  
Daniel Sousa waited at the door for Peggy to come let him in, holding a small bouquet of asters and daisies. He hummed to himself as he waited - he was a bit early, so he didn't mind the slight wait.  
  
The door opened suddenly, and it wasn't Peggy greeting him - instead, it was the owner of Peggy's home, Howard Stark. Daniel initially wondered if the two of them had some sort of relationship before and wondered if he should feel jealous about how close the two of them were. However, after meeting Howard and seeing the two of them together, Daniel became all too aware that their relationship was much more like siblings, especially given how much they bickered.|  
  
"Danny boy, just the man I'm looking to see." Howard grinned, and ushered Daniel in. Peggy followed shortly after and Daniel couldn't help but grin - even though they had been seeing each other for about six months, everything still felt new and exciting.  
  
"Come, let's sit, can I get you a drink?" Howard asked as they walked back into the parlor.  
  
"Actually, we do have reservations, but thank you - "  
  
"I insist, what can I get you?"  
  
Peggy snorted. "From the way you're acting, Howard, you'd think you live here."  
  
"I do own the place, Peg."  
  
Daniel refused the drink a second time, but did agree to take a seat - his leg was starting to ache slightly, and he didn't turn down the opportunity for a rest when he could take it.  
  
Peggy sighed. "Fine, Howard, let's get this over with."  
  
Howard sat down in a chair opposite them. "I'll try and keep this brief, since I already talked to Peggy about this. What are your plans for Christmas?"  
  
Daniel blinked. Whatever he had been expecting Howard Stark to ask him, that was not at all close. "Not sure, I was actually meaning to ask Peggy about her plans tonight."  
  
Howard clapped his hands. "Excellent! Peggy thought you might be busy, but no one's too busy for what I'm offering."  
  
"I thought you were planning on spending Christmas with your family," Peggy protested, "like you've done in the past."  
  
"I was thinking about it, but my parents are flying out to spend Christmas with my sister and her husband so I wouldn't be going home, anyway. Besides..." he trailed off, giving Peggy a pointed look.  
  
"Oh," she said. She blushed lightly.  
  
"I know we haven't been dating all that long" just over eight months "but I know your family is overseas and it doesn't seem right that you should spend the holiday alone."  
  
Howard's eyes brightened. "That's just my point, Peg, you don't need to spend the holiday alone, and Daniel isn't busy like you assumed he'd be."  
  
Peggy groaned. Howard looked all too pleased at the revelation. While she found Daniel's sentiment to be completely charming (as he was in many aspects of their relationship), Howard gloating soured it.  
  
"What's going on," Daniel asked slowly. "What's Howard talking about?"  
  
"How would you like to go with Peggy to England over the holidays? I'm offering to fly the both of you there, have a nice trip to visit her family, see the sights."  
  
Daniel paused. "That's... wow." He wanted to say a quip, something to defuse the tension, but it was such an expensive offer that he was stunned. "I don't know what to say, but that's a lot."  
  
"Ugh, you sound like Peggy, I'd hoped you'd be more amenable to the idea. Look, both of you need a break, Peg hasn't been home to her family since before the war, and I want to do something to say thank you to you both. You know I can afford it, money is no issue here."  
  
Daniel looked over to Peggy. "Well, I'd be willing to go, but it's Peggy's call here."  
  
Peggy looked between the two of them. She sighed. "Fine, I guess we're going to England."  
  
\----  
  
Peggy marveled at how calming Daniel's presence was on the flight, considering she was about to go stir crazy. The cabin of the airplane was filled with the hazy smoke of cigarettes all around them - neither Daniel nor she smoked, so she was unused to so much smoke hanging around her. They were several hours into the flight, and yet Peggy knew they had several more to go. The main reason she had yet to go back to London to visit her parents was the cost of flying and that she avoided taking vacation time, still feeling she had to prove herself, but the flight time was abysmal and certainly didn't help. Yet, she was enjoying sitting with her boyfriend, and he seemed to take it all in stride.  
  
"So you haven't seen your parents in how many years?" Daniel asked.  
  
Peggy considered it. "About 10, 12 years? Not since before the war."  
  
Daniel whistled. "You do keep in contact, right? I remember you speaking with them over the telephone once."  
  
"Yes, we speak over the telephone about once a month and send letters more frequently."  
  
"Don't you miss them?"  
  
Peggy shrugged lightly. "I do, but it's become almost normal, I suppose. I've been away so long that I almost can't imagine what it would be like to be back." She smiled. "Besides, if I lived over there, I wouldn't be able to see you so often."  
  
"Oh no, that would be a tragedy, you have to stay in the United States."  
  
"In all actuality, I've been so focused on my career that I can't imagine what it would be like to do anything else. I like what I do, and while I do miss my parents I think they understand what I'm trying to do."  
  
"They would be fools if they thought any differently."  
  
Peggy feigned a gasp. "Daniel, how can you call my parents fools?"  
  
"Excuse me if I think anyone that doesn't fully appreciate you is a fool."  
  
Peggy smiled to herself and lay her head on Daniel's shoulder. He curled up against her, awkwardly cuddling across the two seats. Suddenly, Peggy realized, this flight wasn't so bad.  
\----  
The two of them landed at London Airport and were escorted off the plane first, to accommodate for Daniel. He briefly tried to object, not wanting any special treatment, but Peggy quickly agreed to the arrangements so they didn't have to sit on this plane any longer.  
  
Each carrying a suitcase, they walked towards the exit, where Peggy suggested that they could take a cab to her parents' home. However, on their way out, they saw a man in a black suit holding a sign with 'Margaret Carter and Daniel Sousa' written on it. Peggy looked to Daniel. "Howard," she said, as they walked to the man. Sure enough, the man was a Mr. Griggs, hired by Howard Stark to be their driver while they were in London.  
  
They drove from London Airport through the city. Peggy pointed out the sights, as they drove through the bustle of the city. Trafalgar Square, Picadilly Circus, the Tower Bridge were all passed, and Daniel looked with amazement at the various sights. More importantly, though, Peggy increasingly pointed out places that she had frequented with her parents growing up, places she went as a girl. Even though Peggy rarely seemed nostalgic for her childhood, Daniel noticed the grin on her face as they saw these places.  
  
They finally got to a residential area, tall, narrow brick homes lining paved streets. Peggy's shook slightly before Daniel took one of them in his hand. She smiled softly at him and they soon parked.  
  
"Look the same as you remembered?" Daniel asked? Peggy nodded.

"Just as I left it. Just by looking you wouldn't think that so much has happened since I left."  
  
Mr. Griggs opened the door for them, went to the trunk of the car and took out their bags. He also handed them a business card with a phone number, should they require any further transportation during their stay. While they stood outside, an older woman with dark hair, dark eyes, and a thin smile walked out the door.  
  
Peggy and Daniel walked up the steps, stopping in front of the woman. They looked into each other's eyes for a moment before embracing. "I missed you so much, Peggy," she said.  
"I missed you too, Mom," Peggy murmured.  
  
"Harrison," Amanda Carter called, "Your daughter is here!" She turned to Sousa. "You must be Daniel. Peggy has told us all about you. Please, come in."  
Peggy embraced her father before Daniel shook both of Peggy's parents hands.  
  
"Go set down your things and freshen up," Amanda said, "The guest room has been prepared for Daniel, and your room is ready for you, Peggy."  
  
\----  
"Daniel, you work with Peggy, right?"  
  
"That's right," Daniel replied after swallowing the bite of roast he was chewing.  
  
"I don't suppose that you can tell us more about what she actually does, can you?" Harrison asked. "We haven't gotten a straight answer about that since the early days of the war."  
  
Daniel chuckled. "I'm afraid not. All I can say is that the US is lucky to have her and she's the best boss I ever had." Peggy looked over at him warmly, hand over his.  
  
"It doesn't bother you? That your boss is a woman and you're romantically involved?" Amanda asked.  
  
"Mother!" Peggy cried.  
  
"What?" Amanda asked, "You know it's a reality. I just worry about you."  
  
"Peggy is the best person I've ever worked with, man or woman," Daniel replied. "She's the most competent person for the job, so it doesn't bother me at all. She deserves to be where she is."  
  
Peggy smiled at him.  
  
"I like this one," Amanda said after a pause. The room laughed, and moved on to more comfortable subjects.  
\----  
Hours later, Peggy knocked quietly on Daniel's door. After hearing a soft "come in," she entered. There he was sitting in on the bed, detaching his prosthetic leg.  
  
"Hello Daniel," Peggy said, sitting next to him on the bed.  
  
"Your parents know you're sneaking into my bedroom?" He grinned. "Should I be worried about your father with a shotgun?"  
  
Peggy snorted and kissed him. "It's my mother you ought to be worried about."  
  
"Why am I not surprised? Now I know where you get it from?" Peggy hit him gently with a pillow and he grinned. He wrapped his arm around her and they spent a quiet moment embracing and kissing lightly. Neither tried for anything more than that, her parents a short distance away, but they enjoyed the gentle intimacy of the moment.  
  
"I love you," Peggy sighed as they broke apart from a kiss. "Thank you for coming with me."  
  
"I love you too," Daniel replied, "And I'm happy that you shared this with me."  
  
"There's no one I'd rather share it with."  
  
"Thank you for introducing me to your family."  
  
"You're more of my family now, Daniel, we spend more time together. We haven't made it official." At that, Daniel's eyes widened and Peggy sat up straighter. "Do you," Peggy asked, "Want to make that more official?"  
Daniel broke out into a grin.  
  
"I realize most men think of asking, and I've probably mucked it up, but I don't want to wait any longer," Peggy stammered, heart racing.  
  
"You're right," Daniel began, "I did think of asking, but I don't mind this so much, as now I don't have to agonize over what I'm going to say for the next few days." He reached into the pocket of his pants, pulled out a small ring box and gave it to her. "I was going to give this to you on Christmas, but now seems like an appropriate time."

She  opened the box, gave him a smile, and gave him a kiss, before they began to speak of their lives together.


End file.
